By Jack Smith

Waking up in the morning on a normal summer day, I was both excited and nervous for the day ahead. Through my window, I could see the sun shining through the trees and hear the birds chirping from the nest they had made above my neighbour’s house. For me, however, it was not a normal day in the slightest. I knew that it would be a day I remembered for the rest of my life. It was going to be my first time in another country without my mom. I was going to France and Belgium for a grade 10 history credit with a bunch of my friends from RSGC. For the next eleven days, I would be completely independent from my mom. With only my friends, I would be responsible for myself. I was nervous to be away but excited for the trip ahead, so I got changed into my comfiest clothes, ate a breakfast of champions, and then my mom and I were off.

On the ride, I was tired, but I knew I had to stay up to spend the time I had left with my mom, not only for me but for her as well. The car ride was weird. My mom was excited for me but also sad to see me leave. We spent most of the drive talking about how much fun the trip would be, while also going over all of the worries she had, making me promise over and over again not to do anything stupid, to stay with the group and to text her every day.

After finally making it to the airport, I had probably made more promises in that one car ride than I had in the rest of my life. We got out of the car, grabbed my luggage, and walked inside. Looking to my left and then to my right, I saw nothing recognizable. No one I knew was there, which made me nervous. I knew that there should be at least a few familiar faces already at the airport because we had been messaging through the group chat we had made in advance. I started to worry, thinking of all the horrible possibilities that could happen. Luckily, my mom was still there, able to guide me through the airport to where I had to go until I saw the familiar faces I was expecting to see. After greeting everyone I knew and signing in with one of the teachers who was going on the trip, I went to check my luggage. After some struggle and help from one of the airport staff, we were able to send my luggage off. After saying goodbye to my mom and again having to promise a million times not to do anything stupid, I was off.

On the almost 10-hour flight, apart from watching a movie and sometimes talking with friends, I slept. Eventually, as our plane was arriving at the Brussels airport, I was feeling even stronger emotions than before. I was even more excited and couldn’t wait for the trip of a lifetime that was to come; however, I was anxious as well. This was my first time travelling without my mom, and I wasn’t sure if I was ready for all of the responsibilities I would have to take on in the next week and a half, but I was determined.

The first week or so went smoothly. We visited many amazing historical monuments and sites, such as the Grand Place in Brussels, the Vimy Ridge Memorial close to Arras, and the German War Cemetery in Langemark. I also made a lot of friends and learned about the history of Canada and the cultures of both France and Belgium. I was in a room with a close friend of mine, and we were mostly able to coexist together (apart from a few things including who got which bed and when to go to sleep) in the cramped hotel rooms we were living in. During this time, we were able to make many memories that will last for the rest of our lives, ranging from climbing onto the roof of our hotel to blasting music on a speaker with friends and having to share a washroom with a ceiling of about 5 feet tall. However, on the 8th day, not everything went as planned.

Waking up that morning, it was our last day in the city of Bayeux, and everyone was excited to leave; our next stop was Paris. We had the whole morning to visit the Notre-Dame Cathedral and Tapestry Museum of Bayeux. After visiting these, the group was let go for free time. During free time, groups would be able to wander around the city but were advised to stay reasonably close to where the bus would leave. Being the foolish and illogical teenagers we were, my friends and I decided to go on an adventure.

We found food we were familiar with, a Domino’s Pizza about 2 kilometres away from the meeting point, and we were determined to eat there, craving the taste of familiarity, the taste of home. So off we went on our trip to the Domino’s. We were able to get there after a quick pit stop in a park to play around for a few minutes, with about an hour left before the set meeting time. I split a pizza with my roommate, and after devouring the culinary masterpiece laid before us, our taste for home was finally satisfied, and we still had 40 minutes left to get back and have some more fun.

So off we went, heading back towards the meeting point and going into stores that caught our eyes. Being a big fan of basketball, I found a basketball store that intrigued me. However, no one else had this same interest, so I told my friends I would catch up with them and went into the store alone. In the store there were a plethora of amazing jerseys, photos and magazines that I had never seen before and found myself losing track of time, getting caught up in this store for close to 10 minutes. After leaving empty-handed, I looked around, trying to spot someone or something familiar, but nothing. Everyone had left, and I was alone.

Looking at the time, I had half an hour to get back to the meeting point. I thought this would be a breeze, but then it hit me; I had no cellular data, or, in other words, no directions back to the meeting point. I started to panic. This time I had no one else to help me. I tried stores and apps, trying to find a source of wifi or a wifi free app, but nothing. I was stuck. I wandered and wandered some more, finding nothing familiar to me and watching the time deplete as I wandered. This went on until I finally mustered up the courage to ask someone for directions, in French. I went up to someone who looked like they knew a thing or two about the city and hoped that my grade 9 French education would be enough to get me back to the meeting place in time. “Est-ce que tu savoir -” Before I could finish my sentence, he cut me off, most likely cringing from my measly attempt at conversing in French. He said, “I can speak English, don’t worry”. Finally finding luck, I was relieved to a point I hadn’t even known was possible. I was “on cloud 9” as some would say. After talking to him, I was able to find a rough direction for my way back, and after about a 15-minute walk, I was finally able to find the meeting point, the familiar buildings and faces that I should have known to stay close to.

This instance, though scary, was a very good learning experience.  I learned I could rely on myself to figure things out when things didn’t go according to plan. This lesson and the resulting confidence in myself helped me over the next few days to not only stay safe but to experience the many joys of France through even more adventures. Although each adventure was different, I wasn’t anxious anymore. I was ready and excited for the trip of a lifetime.